Lot 238, Nudge’s second foal from progressive Victorian breeder Two Bays Farm, which earned AU$1.2 million, was transferred to Chris Waller and his main bloodstock agent Guy Mulcaster for AU$850,000 (US$604,860, AU$1 = US$0.71) in consultation with Kheir and his long-term partner Group 1 Bloodstock.
The filly was the standout lot, earning AU$520,000 Ghayyath colt and a son for AU$410,000 Toronado on a day when a strong mid-market pushed the figures up significantly from last year’s Premier auction, continuing the strong momentum of the Australasian yearling sales season to date.
On Sunday evening, the average of the sale was AU$157,784 (US$112,279), up 7.89% from AU$146,240 at the same stage last year, with the median rising by AU$30,000 to AU$130,000 (US$92,508), a huge increase of 30%.
With a clearance rate up six points to 77%, the gross price increased from AU$26.17 million to AU$30.61 million (US$21,782,076), with only 16 lots sold (194 of 179).
Sebastian Hutch, CEO of Inglis Bloodstock, was delighted with how the day went, the quality of the shares on offer and how they were absorbed, especially at a time when “the market is not easy” and buyers are “very demanding”.
“Prior to the sale, we thought we had a good catalog and good buyer engagement, and with any luck we should be able to make good sales, and that’s the way it’s playing out,” Hutch told reporters.
“The clearance is up five points on last year, the median is up AU$30,000; I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in a sale where the median is a third higher than last year. The average is up, which is a good effort as the clearance is up significantly, and it felt like a strong sale.
“On balance, the majority of the horses were sold and sold, which was very nice.”
Hutch added: “The median tells you there was tremendous strength in the middle of the market.
“For the median to go from AU$100,000 to AU$130,000 on the same day 12 months ago is very rare. Whether that will remain the case tomorrow, I don’t know. I expect that as the clearance increases it will decrease.
“But we’re coming into Day 2 from a much stronger position than where we went into Day Two 12 months ago. And we felt pretty good at the end of Day One last year.”
The Zoustar-Nudge filly, sold after a tense bidding duel involving several bidders on site and online, is the most expensive yearling to date for the Mornington Peninsula’s Two Bays Farm and in many respects represents proven routes.
Zoustar over Solid rock is probably considered the best nick of the reigning champion sire. While others have a stronger winner to runner ratio than this 12%, this has produced eight black type winners, including three at Group 1 level, which is the only Widden stallion nick with multiple winners at elite level.
Two of these top-level stars are women trained by Waller – three-time Group 1 winners Joliestar and Zougotcha – the latter of whom was bought by Waller and Mulcaster for AU$500,000 at Inglis Easter. The third winner is Robert Sangster Stakes queen Climbing Star.
Group 1 Bloodstock’s Mat Becker said he and Kheir knew exactly who to contact when attracted to the Zoustar-Nudge filly at Oaklands last week.
“We identified her and thought there was no better judge for a Zoustar filly than Guy and Chris,” Becker said. “We reached out to see if they wanted to do something, and they loved her as much as we did. They really wanted to buy her. We were very happy to put our team together with theirs. Hopefully she will be the next Zoustar filly in their stable.
“Chris has also trained the mother, so they know the family. It’s a great cross, Zoustar with Fastnet Rock mares. They’re the right names. It gave us a lot more confidence when Guy and Chris came, and they loved her too. She wouldn’t have looked out of place among the best fillies at Easter.”
Waller trained Nudge to four victories from 1,400 meters (about 7 furlongs) to 1,700 meters (about 8 1/2 furlongs), highlighted by wins in Brisbane Group 3 and Eagle Farm’s Magic Millions National Classic. She was raced by a syndicate led by late Winx co-owner Richard Treweeke, whose children Elizabeth and Rick now share ownership of the broodmare with Ross Ferris of Two Bays Farm.
Sunday’s second top yearling was Lot 19, a son of rising Darley sire Ghaiyyath who sold to Lindsay Park by Stonehouse Thoroughbreds for AU$520,000. The colt is a half-brother of VRC Derby (G1) winner Extra Brut.
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